Newcomers
by Arratra
Summary: A strange object falls from the sky into the shallows of the Leona Lake. Eragon discovers two strange creatures inside, creatures that say they were once human. Post-Brisingr. Note: I don't own concepts, only OCs
1. Chapter 1: Landfall

A swirl of bubbles punctuated the pale lavender fluid, running across the facial armour of the occupant of the pod, and then vanishing upwards.

"The subject's body is adapting well to its new form," Commander Alteil said to the Count, who was staring up at it, "We were able to fit the plating and the hardpoints for the scaled-down Fury CAS armours."

The glowing fluid was again filled by a swirl of bubbles as the vents on the creature's tail opened, expelling the gas.

"And the female?" the count asked.

Alteil turned to the second pod, which was holding a second figure.

"She wouldn't accept the Fury DNA," he admitted, "We had to replace it with DNA we harvested from the Drakus before it managed to flee."

"And the Evolt systems?"

"Both their cores would not accept the Geno- and dragon-type DNA we were hoping to infuse," Alteil said, "However, they _did_ accept the Gil Vader DNA. We've managed to stimulate them into Evolting into their secondary forms… although they only remained in them for a short time. The female… retains her visible female indicators in both forms," Alteil added.

"At least we'll be able to tell them apart even when they both Evolt… Place them into stasis."

"Sir?"

"We do not want them awakening on our journey," the Count explained, "There is enough danger here already without them awakening and potentially destroying the ship… Are the CAS armours for the male ready?"

"Yes, Count."

"Place them beside the stasis unit."

"Of course, Count."

Alteil roared an order, and the lab technicians scurried to place the armours next to the stasis-field generator.

They never got the time to engage the stasis field, however; the modified Whale King rocked as it was struck by a cannon blast from a Blue Sovereign that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. As the Count and Alteil sprinted towards the bridge, the laboratory pod was shaken loose of its anchors. The lab technicians ran to the airlock… making it just in time to avoid the explosive decompression as the cargo hatch was blown clean off. Sensing the loss of atmosphere, the pod slammed closed, but that didn't prevent it from being sucked clean out of the Whale King and into empty space. Unbeknownst to all, it slid into a spatial distortion, vanishing completely from the face of this universe.

Eragon sat staring up at the skies, wondering what to do now that Oromis was gone, and Glaedr closed off from the world.

A shooting star crossed the sky, and Eragon absently wished for some help.

Seconds later, the Rider became aware that the air was heating up, despite the fact that it was a rather cool night, and he could detect no magic.

Eragon looked up, then yelped in shock, as a fireball about two dozen metres across came plummeting down and smashed into the sand that shored the Leona Lake. Eragon winced as flecks of molten glass came within inches of him before stopping. The drop in the Rider's strength was minimal, however, and he slowly made his way forward as the waters of the lake rushed back into place, exploding into steam around the base of the strange object.

Eragon stayed clear of the fiercely bubbling water as Saphira came bounding up beside him.

"_Are you hurt?"_ she asked, eyeing her rider over.

"No, Saphira," Eragon assured her, "I'm fine. Perhaps the slightest bit singed, however," he added, when he touched his belt buckle and had to pull away his hand because it was too hot.

The water around the object had stopped bubbling, allowing the pair to get close. Eragon studied the side of the object, and tapped it with a stone Saphira had scooped up off the lakebed. It rang like metal, and Eragon frowned. It was hollow.

"_I feel… strange,"_ Saphira said, shifting as there was a bizarre sensation in Eragon's midriff, _"It is radiating heat still… I sense wild magic," _she added, giving Eragon an impression of confusion, _"It is… touching me. Healing me somehow… but I have no wounds."_

Eragon watched in amazement as the pod's surface cooled rapidly, dispersing the heat somehow. Eragon jumped down into the water, but slipped on the smooth glass beneath the water; Saphira caught him before he could fall.

Saphira gently moved him to the side of the object, and something groaned in it. With a bang, a door suddenly opened in it, and Eragon, taken off-guard, was swept inside with the current.

"_Eragon!"_

"_I'm fine, Saphira."_

Eragon pushed himself to his feet, only to come face-to-face with two containers filled with glowing lavender fluid. The fluid itself suspended two objects, one in each container, which showed as dark silhouettes beneath the fluid. One of them had glowing blue patches, however, faintly visible even through the strange fluid.

The fluid around the one without the glowing patches bubbled suddenly, albeit slowly, and Eragon sucked on his lip, looking around. The equipment was strange, much of it sparking angrily as water swirled around it.

A slight movement caught Eragon's attention; the two things inside the fluid were shifting, and a pair of glowing eyes wavered on each of them.

The containers hissed, and the fluid drained out of it, revealing the pair. One was armoured in gold and silver, and had a pair of skeletal wings, and the glowing blue panels on her (for she had that all-too-obvious feminine chest) shimmered slightly. The other was mostly black, but sections of his body were stark white. He didn't seem fully armoured yet, unlike the female.

The two pods hissed, then opened abruptly, dumping the two onto their hands and knees. As the male slowly stood, plating Eragon previously hadn't noticed suddenly flew out of the water and hovered around him, before slamming into place over his entire body, except for his chest, which was already armoured. It included a backpack with two arms, fitted with fearsome-looking triple-bladed weapons. Similar blades were fitted to the buckler-like shields he had over his forearms and hands. Different armours also disappeared into his body, as if absorbed. Eragon watched apprehensively as the two flexed themselves and their strange equipment, as if getting used to their bodies.

The female had two tube-like weapons currently attached to her back, although they looked like they could be flipped up and into her grip easily and quickly. Each wrist bore triple blades that extended out beyond her closed fist, glowing sporadically almost like Eragon's own blade _Brisingr_. The male of course had those strange blades, which spun on their own.

The male paused, before turning to Eragon.

"Where are we?"


	2. Chapter 2: Mind Search

Hey all, this is Arratra.

Newcomers is my first posted Fanfic on here, so I'm trying to make this the best I can.

I forgot to put the disclaimer and Zoid info in the last chapter, so here we are:

**Zoids, the Inheritance Cycle, and custom Zoids are not mine.**

**The Drakus: ****.com/art/Drakus-Unit-RZ-Blade-243644057?q=boost%3Apopular%20Zoids&qo=2179**

:System boot initiated:

:Reverting to standard form:

A blue glow engulfed the raptor-like one, and the creature's armour shimmered, shifting slightly so that his thigh plates were more rounded and his backpack no longer had blades, instead carrying massive angular objects. The arm-mounted shields were gone as well.

"I… Well," the human spluttered, completely taken aback. Not only did the creatures speak the human language fluently (if with a slight accent), but one had _transformed_ _without magic!_

:Systems online. Operation normal:

:Evolt System down; calibrating:

"Evolt system?" the creature murmured.

:OS booted. Welcome, Cruurtun:

"My apologies for not introducing myself," Cruurtun said, trying out his name in his mind, before deciding he liked it, "My name is Cruurtun. You are?"

"Muukhuz," the Drakus-morph interjected, examining the blades that she seemed to be able to make project from her wrist at will.

"Eragon Shadeslayer, son of Brom," the human replied blinking, "Are you lost?"

"You could say that," Muukhuz said, blinking. It was eerie when they looked at you; it was fairly obvious that they blinked (the light of their eyes would dim for a moment at a semi-regular interval), but it was next to impossible to tell where they were actually looking.

"You're on the shore of the Leona Lake," Eragon explained, "Near Fienster. Is… there anywhere in particular you intend to go?"

"Well that's no good," Cruurtun grumbled, "I'm not familiar with a 'Leona Lake'. We're not on Zi, are we?"

"Zi?"

"I thought so… Well this is just _perfect_," Cruurtun continued, sarcasm dripping from his words, "Over half our identities erased by the Backdraft, transformed into… whatever we are, and now we're stuck in a backwater with no clue where we are or what's happening."

Eragon bit his lip, then approached slowly.

"I need to check your minds," he said quietly, wishing he didn't have to, "Please don't resist… I'll try to avoid hurting you."

"Check our minds?" Muukhuz asked, "What for?"

"For Galbatorix's influence. The Black King has made thralls spy on the Varden and try to assassinate members before."

"I don't know what's going on here," Cruurtun said, stepping forwards, "But I think it's best to get this over with… Do it."

Eragon snaked out a tendril of thought towards the strange being, and smacked straight into a defence of truly unbelievable strength; it was literally like a wall encasing his mind… only it almost seemed to be made out of fire. Eragon took a figurative deep breath, and stepped into the flames… only to find that they didn't seem hot. The licked across his mental form (and he now noticed that this was quite unlike his usual mental searches; he seemed to be walking here), but did not burn. He reached a wall, and a panel shifted aside to allow him through.

"What was that?" he asked aloud, "It was like a wall of flames."

"A firewall in my mind? Strange…"

"A what?"

"Don't worry about it."

Eragon was now in some form of room, which was completely unfamiliar; a huge window looked out over a plain similar to the one around Daret and Yazuac, and similar, smaller windows instead seemed to be looking at some form of page that changed as you looked at it. Seats faced these pages, and one was in roughly the centre of the room, facing forwards. All of them were currently empty.

"The Battledragon's command bridge," a voice said, and Eragon turned. Standing there was a man, a human, who Eragon guessed was actually Cruurtun, back before he'd been changed.

"I've never mind-searched like this before," Eragon said quietly, examining Cruurtun, who was wearing a heavy, ankle-length coat in some blue material that he didn't recognise. He was sitting on one of the seats and on the desk beside him were two small figurines; two dragon-like creatures were depicted, one markedly similar to the other person, only on four legs, and the other much larger, with deadly-looking horns, and white, blue, and gold.

"Yeah… This is a surprise to me, too. I didn't realise telepathy was so complicated."

Eragon smiled slightly, and leaned around the young man, studying the page he was looking at. It was depicting a scene from the first person; someone pulling and pushing levers, and the small room around him reacting accordingly.

"What's this?"

"The first time I ever climbed into a Zoid," Cruurtun explained, "The Command Wolf wasn't bad, you know. Always willing to help me out."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Eragon said pointedly, "I've never heard of a Zoid."

"Fair point," Cruurtun admitted, looking up. Their eyes met-.

"_Zoids are biomechanical life-forms, living machines. They can fight without us humans, but they're much more effective when they're being piloted. Always remember to treat them well. They'll reward you for it."_

"_Dragons are mysterious creatures, Eragom; remember, things happen around us that we can't explain. You remember what happened to Zar'roc when you first received it? Good. That is one example… your new appearance is another."_

"_Battle over! Battle over! The winner is; the Dragons Team!"_

"_Good, Eragon, good. Now, the next word I want you to learn is-."_

"_The Blade Liger's core was completely crushed. I'm sorry, Van, but even Ambient wouldn't be able to revive this Zoid… You mentioned performing well in the Gojulas sims?"_

"_Wild magic-."_

_:OS boot complete. Welcome, Cruurtun:_

"Gah!"

Both of them jumped backwards, sloshing in the water that was swirling around their shins.

"What happened?" Muukhuz asked, stepping forwards. Her tail lashed in response, slicing into the protruding pedestal, and she jumped back, somehow looking sheepish despite her immobile features.

"That was… the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me," Cruurtun said, "Did you really make something lift into the air using only words?"

"Not quite… and how did you know that? It wasn't in the sequence."

"I don't know how… but I do."

"OK, the main weapon of a Gungyarados is a Hyper Charged Particle cannon, corre… Holy!"

"No way!" Cruurtun murmured, stunned, "We have fragments of each others' memories that we didn't see."

A pause, as he sorted through his new memories, then he nodded gravely.

"Galbatorix is a tyrant. I'll help you, Eragon. Muukhuz, I'm sorry, but I'll have to drag you along. We can't let Galbatorix get his hands on such technology."

"I actually agree with you about that," Muukhuz said, "Someone called the 'Black King' can't be a good person."

Eragon nodded, holding out his hand. The two others grasped it, and nodded.

"I'll take you straight to Nasuada," Eragon said, "But unofficially… Welcome to the Varden."


	3. Chapter 3: Murtagh's Mistake

Hey all, this is Arratra, reporting in for the latest chapter of Newcomers.

Currently I'm not going to be posting chapters very fast, but when they do come, they're going to be good ones if I can help it.

Please note that constructive reviews will help me get these up faster.

Here's the Disclaimer:

**Zoids, the Inheritance Cycle, and custom Zoids are not mine.**

**The Drakus: ****.com/art/Drakus-Unit-RZ-Blade-243644057?q=boost%3Apopular%20Zoids&qo=2179**

Murtagh rubbed at his shoulder, remembering the pain Galbatorix had inflicted on him; the scar on his back, inflicted by the very sword he now wore at his hip, was still throbbing angrily.

According to the spies, the Durza had inflicted on Eragon had done similar to this before the dragons had apparently wiped it away.

Galbatorix had made a terrible mistake in doing so, however; in doing so, he had inadvertently, somehow, changed Murtagh and Thorn's true names. As he had done it himself, the wards in place to warn him hadn't triggered, so he was still unaware… and somehow Murtagh and his dragon had managed to deceive the Black King, stealing the precious final egg, and a sizable portion of the Eldunari. Somehow, the king was still unaware that they had even been stolen, so Murtagh suspected that he'd taken Eldunari that hadn't been broken (mentally, that is).

Murtagh sat on the shores of the lake, staring out at the calm waters. Pain still coiled in his heart; remorse for the deaths he had caused among the Varden, and especially for betraying Eragon.

With a depressed sigh, he stood up and stripped his shirt off, before he waded out into the water. He dove down, into the crystal clear waters, allowing the cold water to sooth his still-throbbing scar.

"_Be careful, Murtagh, the ball-of-flame-from-sky came down not far from here."_

The human rider didn't respond with words, instead sending the mental equivalent of a thumbs-up, but he had already been distracted; a glowing lavender fluid was gathered in a small basin in the lakebed. Thinking of taking a sample, Murtagh pulled a flask from his rope belt, and scooped an amount of the liquid up, being careful not to touch it with his hands.

The rider of the crimson dragon grimaced to himself, pushing off the lakebed and arriving at the surface. He made his way to the shore, still grasping the flask, which he'd stoppered. He tossed it onto his shirt, then clambered out of the water, shaking himself off like a dog. Thorn watched him carefully as he unscrewed the cap again and studied the stuff inside. It moved fluidly, of course, but it seemed rather viscous.

"What do you think, Thorn?" Murtagh asked, looking up at the dragon. This was what had changed his true name; while being tortured via his scar, he had reached out to Thorn for help, and the dragon had answered his plea.

"_I have not seen its like before," _the dragon replied, _"not even in my ancestral memories."_

Murtagh frowned, studying the liquid. Curiosity overcame caution after a moment, and he dipped a finger into it. An unpleasant tingling sensation accompanied the contact with the fluid, and he pulled his finger out hurriedly. The fluid had seeped into a tiny cut on his finger, however, and Murtagh winced as the sensation increased to an even more unpleasant prickling.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Murtagh sighed, "Too late now…"

"_I am not sure it is poison,"_ Thorn said cautiously, sniffing at it, _"It smells of metal, but not of any poisons I know."_

The rider grumbled under his breath but didn't argue. Instead he fixed his gaze on something just barely visible further out on the lake, skimming the surface.

Cruurtun was enjoying his new form for the first time; although still a tad clumsy at times, as his nerves, and the computers now attached to them, hadn't yet completely learned how to move his new body, he was _fast_.

And being able to skim the water like this was something he'd never been able to enjoy before. The ion boosters weren't burning full-bore, but they were at the highest level that they could be taken without risking overheating; any higher, and the cooling system wouldn't be able to keep up, causing the temperature to build and eventually trip a cut-off switch.

Cruurtun spotted a glint of red, and spun, shifting direction almost instantly. As he reached the sand, he cut off power to the booster, and they instantly stopped firing, and skidded to a stop, spraying the shimmering ruby scales of the dragon with sand. Thorn growled curiously, leaning forwards. He could smell traces of the same metallic liquid on this metal-plated-creature as was in the flask.

Murtagh attempted a cursory scan of the person's mind, no more than a brush of emotions, and encountered a wall that his probe glanced right off. Taken aback, Murtagh instantly retreated behind his own barriers, but the creature before him tilted its head, blinking, but otherwise didn't react.

"Do you… do you know what this is?" Murtagh tried, biting his lip. He held out the flask, and the creature took it. One look inside, and the eyes hidden behind some form of semi-opaque window brightened.

"Zoid birthing fluid! Where did you find this?"

"It was at the bottom of the lake," Murtagh said gulping, "I… touched it. My hand's prickling."

The creature immediately took his hand and studied it intently.

Cruurtun gritted his teeth internally, reaching into his own mind for the commands to activate the advanced sensors.

:Initiating bio-scan:

"Give me a second," he said after a moment, "This could feel strange."

A fan of light wavered from a device secreted just above the nostril-slits in the facial armour, running over Murtagh, then thorn, then, over the birthing fluid itself.

:Scan complete:

:Results; 1 human (traces of Koto Gun Sniper DNA), 1 unknown (user designate; Dragon), sample of Zoid birthing fluid (heavily concentrated Koto Gun Sniper DNA present):

:Recommendation; human body already changing. Subject must _ingest_ birthing fluid to avoid death:

"Say _What?"_ Cruurtun spluttered, "He has to _ingest_ it? ingest _Zoid birthing fluid?_"

:Correct; subject will die unless transformation is stabilised by birthing fluid and additional Koto Gun Sniper DNA:

"Dear Eve… All right, uh…"

"Murtagh," the human replied, uneasy.

"Murtagh. Unless you _drink_ that stuff, you're going to die."

"I _what?_" Murtagh spluttered, "are you crazy?"

"Yeah, that was _my_ first reaction, too," Cruurtun said, passing him back the flask, "The fluid is… well, but the illness and the cure. You're not going to be _human_ after this either way, but you're going to live if you drink it-."

:Chance of survival. Current; 0.001%. After ingestion; 52.7%:

"Yeah, yeah. Smart-ass computer. All right, you'll _probably_ live if you drink it. If you don't… well, you can't do more than hope to survive, and chances would be _incredibly_ slim. Drink that, you've got slightly better than fifty-fifty."

Grimacing, Murtagh lifted the flask in a mock-toast, and lifted it to his lips.

:Warning; subject will likely suffer some memory loss:

"Oh, fine time to bring _that_ up!" Cruurtun exclaimed, throwing up his hands. Murtagh froze.

"Wha-?"

"You'll probably forget a few things," Cruurtun sighed, "Drink it. You need to do it fast, I imagine."

"My arm is beginning to feel like I've plunged it into a fire, so I agree," Murtagh sighed, lifting the flask back to his lips and tipping it back. He swallowed as much as he could, but he was soon coughing, and dropped the flask. Some of the fluid spilled, and Cruurtun picked up the flask, screwing the cap back on.

"It feels like my insides are on fire," Murtagh gasped.

:Recommend immersion in purified birthing fluid. If such is unavailable, take to closest healer:

"Angela it is, then," Cruurtun sighed, lifting Murtagh and draping him across Thorn's back, "Follow me, good dragon. If I know, or rather Eragon knows, that healer, she'll have some of the birthing fluid from the lab purified already."


	4. Chapter 4: Breaking the Siege

Arratra here with the next chapter of Newcomers. I do apologise about taking so long to update; I switched to a new computer, and never got around to transferring or continuing. I'm fixing that now.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cruurtun had been proved right; the Varden had already moved the pod out of the lake, and Angela was hard at work inside, studying the fluid. Fortunately, there was already a supply of purified fluid available.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Angela asked, as Cruurtun gently pushed Murtagh inside the tank he himself had emerged from.

"Being reborn," Cruurtun said cryptically, closing the tank and fiddling with the controls. Almost immediately, the purified fluid began flowing in, and Murtagh grimaced at the sensation. Within a minute, he was covered completely, a barely-visible dark patch in the fluid.

"What do you mean?" the witch asked cautiously, "And what of Thorn?"

"They broke free of Galbatorix, but Murtagh was incautious about inspecting an unknown fluid," Cruurtun replied, glancing at her, "The same type of fluid that you're studying right now. Murtagh isn't _dying_ exactly, but when he emerges from that tank, he's not going to be the man he was… or human."

Cruurtun finished setting up the life-support parameters under the direction of the computer that seemed to be tied to his brain, then turned to face the witch.

"He's going to be like myself and Muukhuz, but I don't know to what extent his memory is going to be erased. But no matter what happens, he'll be free of the King, and more than likely to fight by our side."

"That's some good news, at least," Nasuada said, startling them.

"Lady Nasuada? What do you require?" Cruurtun asked.

"I need you to accompany Roran to Feinster. The siege is not going well," the leader of the Varden revealed, "If possible, I want you to open the way."

"But almost all of my weapons are attached to my other armours, and I can't use them yet," Cruurtun protested.

"_Almost_ all," Nasuada said, causing Cruurtun to stiffen.

"The CPG?" he asked, "Are you sure?"

Nasuada nodded gravely. With Eragon's help, Cruurtun had shown her what a full-scale Charged Particle Gun could do; she knew why Cruurtun was so hesitant.

"Feinster is a fortress," she explained, "And conventional siege engines are restricted by the terrain. Infiltration is impossible, even by water. There _are_ channels leading into the city, but they're protected by warded portcullises. So it's either use your CPG, or do something that would likely be called insane."

"What about the civilians?"

"If you fire down the main road, you won't have to worry about that," Roran said, coming inside, "I was just looking over the plans. The main road is straight, wide, and open, leading straight to the castle."

"Either they expected for no one to get through the gates, or that's a killing ground," Cruurtun said warily, "Wide open spaces present clear lines of fire for anyone with a bow or crossbow, but allows for a charge… They may have set up low barricades to slow or halt a charge."

"Aye," Roran replied, nodding.

"Where will I be?" Muukhuz asked, stepping inside.

"You will be fighting alongside Eragon," Nasuada said.

"You haven't told us what weapons we'll be using," Cruurtun protested, "Normal metal won't stand up to our strength, and relying on our natural weapons won't do it."

"We don't have time to send you to Rhunon to craft rider-style blades for you," Angela input, causing everyone to turn and look, "But I _did_ find something interesting here."

She led them over a wall, and slid a panel to one side. It revealed a keypad and glowing digital display.

"I don't know what sort of strange magic makes it work, but I haven't been able to crack it yet," she explained.

"It's not magic," Cruurtun replied, stepping around her and frowning at it, "It's a digital lock. It's… a lock that requires a numerical passphrase to open. Think of it like a door that an ever-watchful guard will only open when the proper phrase is given."

"There must be ways to get past it," Angela reasoned.

"Of course; with the right equipment you could break or cut it open, but that's a brute force method likely to destroy at least part of what's inside," Cruurtun explained, "You could cut the bolt of the lock as well; but again that's not very subtle… Or you could hack into the lock and _reset_ or _acquire_ the passcode… which is like replacing the guard with your own agent or getting the passphrase by interrogating a prisoner. Or maybe…"

He leaned closer, running a clawed finger over the lock, then shook his head.

"No. A physical bypass is impossible."

"Physical bypass?" Roran asked, thinking of a battering ram breaking down a portcullis.

"Basically, no more lock," Muukhuz explained, "But it's not a preferred option…"

"Muukhuz, what's the standard passcode length of a lock of this type?" Cruurtun asked.

"Six digits. It's usually use to secure g…" the female paused, "A gun cabinet in a science lab?"

"I know it's weird, but it's our best shot at getting something we know how to use," the male sighed, before putting his fingers to the lock, "OK, give me some factory codes."

"596028."

The lock buzzed and the screen turned red. "Not that one."

"220481?"

The same reaction. "A manufacturing date, Muukhuz?"

"I'm thinking… 449385?"

_Bzzzt_. "No."

"Rrrg… Try 372466."

"Wait, that's 'dragon' in the old letter-to-number translation format."

She gave him a hard look, and he held up his hands, before entering the code.

The lock let out a cheerful, affirmative beep, before there was a _clunk_ and a hiss, as the seam released vapour from the air compressed inside. Cruurtun swung the doors of the cabinet wide.

He would have smirked if her were still capable of it.

"Jackpot."

Eragon leaned around Cruurtun to look. Wicked-looking blades were attached to a tube that looked vaguely like a crossbow. It looked rather like some form of hybrid weapon

"Crusader gunblades," Cruurtun stated, pulling two out and handing one to Muukhuz, who whistled appreciatively.

"I'm sorry, what?" Eragon asked.

"They're an infantry beam rifle combined with a sword," Muukhuz explained, "Sort of like a bow that can also be used as a sword. But it's strange to find them here…"

"They're supposed to be exclusive to the Guardian Force. Which begs the question; how did the Backdraft Group get their hands on them?" Cruurtun commented, pulling out several roughly rectangular objects, about half of which he handed to Muukhuz. He slotted one into his own weapon and it hummed, a few lights turning on as he did so.

"What are those?" Roran questioned.

"Self-recharging energy cells for the Crusaders," Cruurtun explained, shrugging, "We'll never completely run out of ammunition with them."

"Can we equip anyone else with them?" Eragon asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Muukhuz sighed, "They require training to use, training we simply don't have time to give, at least not in the numbers you're thinking of."

"We'd best get moving," Cruurtun said, "Lady Nasuada, I won't need a horse."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Gods, it's one of _them_!"

"Which one?"

"The white one, I think his name is Cruurtun."

"Lady Nasuada sent Stronghammer too? She must want this siege broken quickly."

Roran shot a glare at the talkers, who immediately closed their mouths. He couldn't blame them for talking, though; he'd barely believed it when he'd first seen Cruurtun and his compatriot. He _hadn't_ believed when he'd heard.

The faint sounds of Cruurtun's movement caught Roran's attention, and he turned to face the white-armoured being. A stray thought flicked through Roran's head; Cruurtun looked more like a dragon than a "tyrant lizard". Shaking that away, Roran noted that those disturbing, glowing blue eyes of Cruurtun's were focussed on Fienster itself.

"Thoughts?" Roran asked.

"The defences won't stop at the wall," the white-armoured "Zian" (a name the pair had adopted lately, given they were natives of the planet Zi) replied, a thoughtful frown in his voice that he couldn't express on his face, "They probably won't be ready for us to break through the gate, but you get some brilliant people in every army. People like you," he added, glancing at Roran, "Quick-thinkers and tactically-minded… This isn't going to be easy."

"The empire seems to care more about fanatical loyalty than quick thinking," Roran pointed out.

"Heh. Something we agree on," Cruurtun stated, "We're fortunate that most of the enemy army is made up of conscripts, who don't want to fight at all. It's mainly _them_ who are the quick-thinkers."

He made a good point, Roran decided later, as he went over the reports on supplies and personnel; quick thinking could completely demolish a plan. It was part of why he himself was so successful.

::::::::::::::::

Gawain was just a grunt, a Varden volunteer from Surda.

He would go down in history as the first human to see the firing sequence of Cruurtun's Charged Particle Gun at close range in its entirety.

He was fortunate enough to be stationed at the place that the white Zian chose to fire from.

"A clear line of sight to the gate, the same elevation, a firm surface, and a straight shot down the main road," Cruurtun muttered, "Perfect."

He stood up and turned his head to look at Roran, who nodded. He had his forces arrayed as if he were going to send them out in a probing attack, but in actuality had them ready to gather together into a charge through the gate.

Cruurtun knelt, before placing his hands on the ground, and lifting his knees. The silver trimming on the sides of his foot armour slammed down, digging into the hardened ground of the road. The white armour on his tail hinged open, revealing the particle intakes/heat vents. The side units of his backpack snapped open, then his neck armour opened, revealing more intake/vents. Finally, he lifted his head, straightened his neck, and opened his mouth, extending the barrel of the CPG, aiming it square at the gate.

Gawain watched in awe as yellow-gold energy started gathering at the tip of the barrel inside Cruurtun's mouth.

The energy built rapidly, until the sphere took up most of the Zian's mouth, then he dug his claws into the ground, and straightened his body.

And then fired.

The yellow-gold sphere turned instantly into a column of pink energy, with crackles of pink lightning around the edges. In an instant, far faster than any arrow, the beam crossed the distance between Cruurtun and the gate. The wards around the gate, despite not being intended to defend against an attack of this nature, protected the gate… for a split second. The magicians maintaining the wards let out a single, unified cry, before they all died instantly, sucked dry.

The gate itself didn't even last as long; the beam punched through as if it were paper. The beam flew down the main street, and slammed into the first of the barricade, and melted through almost immediately, and, to the horror of the Empire's soldiers, kept going, melting its way through the barricades on the main road, before blasting through the gate of the keep, and finally dissipated after melting halfway through the next wall.

Cruurtun, for his part, skidded two metres backwards, despite his anchoring, digging four trenches into the road as he went. When the beam ended, he vented steam, rapidly cooling back to a safe temperature. Gawain, although half-blinded by the intense light of the beam, jumped backwards to avoid the superheated cloud.

Cruurtun retracted the cannon, and closed all of his armour, before getting up, and studying the damage he had done.

He raised a hand, then dropped it to point at Fienster.

Roran gave a roar, which his men then echoed, before charging towards the city.


End file.
